Enhancement of shoot proliferation and evaluation of biotic elicitation effects on anatomical changes of pseudostem and anti-lipid peroxidation activity of Curcuma mangga Val

Mango turmeric (Curcuma mangga Val.) contains many bioactive compounds that are used for traditional treatment of various health problems and ailments. Slow propagation nature of C. mangga have resulted in short supply to meet the market demand. The longitudinally incised half shoot explants promote 100 % increased of shoot number compared with non-incised shoots with the formation of average 6.6 shoots/explant when they were cultured either vertically or horizontally on MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg l BA and 0.5 mg l NAA. Biotic elicitation with 3.5 mg l or 5.0 mg l yeast extract or combination of 150 mg l chitosan and 3.5 mg l yeast extract did not promote shoot proliferation but exhibited anti-lipid peroxidation activity slightly lower than quercetin, a potent plant antioxidant flavonoid and butyl hydroxyl toluene (BHT), a commercial preservative agent which is used as a positive control. While absolute ethanol which served as a negative control did not show any anti-lipid peroxidation activity. Biotic elicitation of C. mangga plantlets using similar elicitors resulted in anatomical changes of its pseudostem with reduced number of thin lignified xylem cells and the presence of druse suspected to be oxalate crystals inside the cortex cells with delicate cell wall.